Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Well, it's been about six minutes, so you know what that means right? A new flavor of Oreo cookies!

These were a pleasant surprise while strolling through Walmart this week, I just happened upon them. Lately it's been hard to be surprised by new items in the stores. We either see them online first or one of our loyal readers alerts us to them! But not this time...this time Gingerbread Oreos came out of nowhere...

Look how happy that Gingerbread man is! That's gonna be you when you try these!

Now if you're anything like me, the prospect of something tasting like gingerbread doesn't get you that excited. I don't DISLIKE gingerbread cookies, but I also can't say that if there's a plate of random cookies around the holidays, that a gingerbread cookie won't be one of the last that I try. They are just...okay. So when I saw these on the shelf, I sighed, expecting something just okay. Man, I should know Oreo better by now.

Just so you know, they disappear fast...

The moment you rip into the package you can smell the gingerbread flavor, it's not as powerful as with the Birthday Cake Oreos, but it's definitely there. But the big question is...how do they taste? The answer? Fantastic. I went from pleasantly surprised to nearly clapping to applaud Oreo on another job well done. The cookie seems like it might be a bit crunchier than usual, perhaps to mimic a gingerbread cookie. The cream is the usual Oreo cream consistency, but with a sweet gingerbread flavor that isn't overpowering in the least. Together? Cookie perfection.

Also, just as an added bit of awesomeness, try these with apple cider. Mike did this on a whim the other night and lost his mind. I thought he might be pumping it up more than it was worth until I tried it myself. It's like a match made in heaven. I'm pretty sure beams of golden light shot down from the clouds right into my mouth. I also found they go great with hot coffee. But let's face it, what cookie doesn't?

So when this holiday season swings around, and you're getting ready to lay out a platter of cookies, skip the classic Gingerbread Man and fill a plate with these bad boys. Your guests will love you for it. But be sure to buy them up quick, they are a LIMITED EDITION!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

*Just a quick warning, this post will be rife with political satire. Just know that we here at FGFB endorse neither political candidate for office. It's a food blog, have fun :D

If you're ever in Asheville, North Carolina, you may want to make a quick stop at what's been dubbed President Obama's favorite BBQ place in the nation, 12 Bones Smokehouse. I had the luxury of visiting the River Store, located right by the great Asheville River Arts District, which makes perfect sense with their mastery of sauces and rubs. Let's see what President Obama sees in this place through his brainwashed Bilderberg eyes!

blurry pic, but it was a quick shot trying not to disrupt any of the patrons that were directly behind me.

As a man born and raised in the northeast (and not some village in Kenya), I've never really experienced much of the southern BBQ tradition. So my friend Steph took the lead, and helped guide me through the menu. We selected a few things she had really enjoyed, some things that I thought I'd enjoy, and we sat outside under a large open roofed structure.

My meal

Served on a hot metal plate, I chose to get their Pulled Chicken, Mac n' Cheese, Collard Greens, and Corn Bread. The pulled chicken was smoked and dry rubbed, and it was as soft as Obama's never-having-a-real-job-hands. It melted in my mouth and was a savory pulled chicken experience. The Mac 'n' Cheese was thick, but bland. It had more of a creamy texture but with no real discernible cheese flavor. Definitely where the meal shined, was the collard greens. Deep and flavorful, with a good amount of garlic, butter, and bacon sprinkled into the mix, which made the whole side dish tie together beautifully.

Where 12 Bones fails, much like our current president's economic policies, was the corn bread. I had high hopes for it- a real southern corn bread is a highly sought after asset. Like Bin Laden's body, they decided to toss what could have been the crescendo of this meal's term into the sea, and left my tastebuds wondering if this was even cornbread I was eating. Dry and devoid of taste, they might as well not have even offered it as a side.

Steph's meal

Luckily having a lady with me meant I got to sample most of her meal as well- an example of how socialist policies work to benefit the greedy. Her meal consisted of Pulled Turkey, Corn Pudding, Jalepeno Grits, and Corn Bread (blech). She added a half rack of Bluberry Chipotle baby back ribs for me to try, and had a side of the Blueberry Chipotle dipping sauce.

The ribs were absolutely fantastic. The sweet and spicy combination of them were probably the best way you could possibly make ribs, which are a meal that usually, like Obama's presidency, leaves you wishing it had done a hell of a lot more for you. Pulled Turkey, sweet and succulent. The corn pudding was basically the leftover bland cornbread made into a paste of some sort. The Jalepeno grits now, were actually really good. I'm not much of a grits guy but these were robust and not the bland canned grits offered up North. But just like Obama's lies, the buttery flavor to them builds up the more you eat, and ends up turning you off to these pretty quickly.

Similar to the live streaming video of the Benghazi terror incident the mainstream media and Obama failed to mention to you, I forgot to mention the unsung savior of the meal.

the female saws baws!

There were four freedom fighting soldiers here in the form of dipping sauces. Sweet Tomato, which was just a mediocre ketchup inspired offering in the spectrum, Tangy Mustard, which was reminiscent of a less hot Englehoffer's mustard, Jalepeno, which you added if you felt your meat needed a little heat, and above all- the Ron Paul of dipping sauces, Spicy Vinegar, which was exactly how it sounded. It paired deliciously with the pulled chicken and turkey.

After visiting 12 Bones, I can see why anyone would dub it their favorite BBQ place in the states. I'll agree with O on this, and even fistbump him in regards to this. Everything except the cornbread and maybe the mac 'n' cheese was of exceptional quality. Unlike Obama's presidency, it provided me with the change I had been wanting from standard run of the mill BBQ places I have back home. Most things were rich and flavorful and I'd love to re-elect them to a second term of being my favorite BBQ place in these United States.

just like an Obama drone strike on an Afghani village, I destroyed my meal

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

I have to hand it to Pringles- they don't make the greatest chips and a lot of the newer or limited edition flavors aren't that great, but god love them, they keep trying. They're more adventurous than all the other chip companies (except Lays), and they're doing their job in getting featured in this blog.

Unfortunately though, they're not always doing their job in being featured favorablyon this blog.

What's new this time, Pringles?

stupid light glare on tube packaging!

I guess they're going for the Mexican flavors this time. I know these flavors are the new hotness, but am I the only one getting sick to death of every new flavor of chips just being a different version of a hot pepper mixed with something? Let's get a little more adventurous here, chip companies.

So there's a chile theme here, but we have your standard salsa/lime chips, spicy cheese, and wait... salsa de chile habanero? uh oh.

First up, the Chile y Limon.

These are gross to me, but Rich liked them. You have to enjoy lime mixed with salsa to like these, and I don't. Apparently he does. We've tried other chips like this, and they're always just weird to me. I will say though, these are much more limey than the other ones. The salsa is much more subtle. I wouldn't waste your time though, unless you really like lime-flavored chips. D. I hate them, which means they do a good job capturing the flavor.

Next, Chile Con Queso.

I was instantly bummed out about these. I assumed these would taste like the queso dip people make for the superbowl (*sorry "THE BIG GAME") parties. And they kind of do, only if you put 5 times as many peppers in as you're supposed to. These are oddly and surprisingly VERY spicy- like, eat 2 and you're uncomfortable (not just me- all of us thought these were too hot). They're cheesy, but that flavor only lasts for a few seconds before the pain kicks in.

I don't like chips that just hurt. Sorry Pringles, these are getting an F from this fat guy.

deceptive little flavor crystal bastards...

Lastly, Salsa de Chile Habanero.

There's no way these could be anything but painful, right? The checkout girl even commented on how hot they were going to be. Habanero usually just hurts, so I was nervous to try these guys.

I was shocked to find that these were not only my favorite out of the batch, but they are also among the best Pringles chips I've had. AND, they were the least spicy out of the batch. Well, maybe not entirely- it's just that the spice isn't just there to hurt you- it works perfectly with the flavor, to the point that the chips would suck if they didn't have that little kick. The weird thing about these to me, is that they taste like BBQ chips. In fact, they taste surprisingly like these:

We meant to review these long ago, then I never saw them again. They've started to make appearances in random gas stations again though. They're super smoky with a light kick of sweet- a very solid BBQ. but Pringles does the flavor better.

SO, if you like Salsa chips that surprisingly taste like smoky BBQ chips and you want a spice kick without getting knocked out, then buy these. They're very unique and I love them. I give them an easy A. In fact, I've already returned to the store to buy more. Can't mess around with these limited edition flavors....

Chile y Limon: D. Only for weirdos who like lime chips.

Chile Con Queso: F. EASY Pringles, stop trying to kill me.

Salsa de Chile Habanero: A. Fantastic surprise. Make these permanent!

-review by Mike

PS. Readers- if you see these chips anywhere in New Hampshire, let us know. They're supposed to be out soon. Pringles is about to go fill tilt bozo:

Pumpkin everything, apple everything. Fall is one of the best times ever. But, in the world of candy, other than a few adventurous companies (Oreo) who come out with new flavors seemingly every week, most fall candy is just the regular candy with halloween colors. Milky Way and Hershey's Kisses decided to step it up and try some interesting fall-themed flavors, with... odd results.

I give you Caramel Apple Milky Way and Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses:

most posed photo ever on fatguyfoodblog

First up, the Milky Ways. When I opened the bag, all I could smell was apple. In fact, eating just the little extra bit of chocolate that spills over sometimes, all I really tasted was apple. I think the nougat (white in these) is apple flavored and the smell is just so strong that everything tasted like apple, but I could be wrong- there could actually be apple in the chocolate. Apple and chocolate is a weird combination, but luckily that goes away and I mostly tasted apple and caramel. Well, to be honest, I mostly tasted apple. These started to grow on me after a bit, but I generally don't find myself loving them. The taste of fake apple is just so strong that it's weird- you're just eating a glob of chewy fake apple flavor. Milky Way gets points for trying something different, and a few more for making a candy taste like apple, but they went a bit too far for my tastes. I can only give these a C. They're interesting, and someone who worships apple may love them, but they were just a little too apple while being barely caramel for me to be psyched about them.

C.

When I opened the pumpkin spice kisses, I was surprised to see that they were orange/brown.

I was even more surprised that the inside was white.

These are very weird. The first thing I taste- and the predominant flavor afterwards- is spice. These definitely taste like pumpkin, but a very spicy pumpkin- like when people make pumpkin flavored things and accidentally spill half the can of nutmeg while cooking. The white inside (whatever that's supposed to be) make these much better, as it's creamy and smooth. It works nicely against the spice. If there was more of it, it would save these, but the spice is just too strong for me, and I ended up feeling like I was eating halloween scented candles after awhile. Don't get me wrong- these are very interesting, and for someone who loves a good spicy pumpkin flavor, these may be your favorite candy this year. But for me, I prefer a smooth and super sweetened pumpkin flavor (like in whoopie pies or fudge), and these are spicy to the point where it's surprising. The smoother inside makes for a solid aftertaste (although again, waxy), but the initial spice blast makes me not want to open up another one. Good effort Hershey's, but the rest of this bag is going on the free food shelf downstairs.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Every once in a while there comes along a snack that takes the world by storm. Hushed whispers tell the legend of some new treat that nobody can find, but everybody wants. Internet searches are done to see if this thing really exists, and when you see the evidence, it only makes it worse. It spreads like a virus, this excitement, until everyone is looking everywhere for this item.

Well, ladies & gents, we are in the midst of one of these phenomenons...

I give you, LIMITED EDITION CANDY CORN OREO COOKIES!

The Holy Grail of snack food.

Now, I know all of you out there think that since we are big bad food bloggers that there is probably no snack that exists that we can't have in our grasp mere moments after we desire it. You probably think our celebrity status makes this happen. Sadly, there are things that are beyond even our reach. These cookies were one of them. For a month straight we had been getting messages telling us to review these cookies, in fact, we've never been asked by more people to review a single item! Research on the world wide web taught me that they were only being sold at Target. So I went to Target half a dozen damn times in two weeks, only to leave disappointed and with everything BUT Candy Corn Oreo cookies. That is, until our friend Jonn, who is also a loyal Fatguyfoodblog reader, showed us how it is done. He called every Target in NH, and then ended up calling in a favor to get some of these cookies delivered to him from over an hour away. That is dedication! We can't thank him enough!

Harder to find than Beanie Babies in 1993.

So how are they? For something based on Candy Corn, they are actually fantastic. The first thing you notice when you rip the bag open is a strong aroma, much like the recent Birthday Cake Oreo cookies. It's very strong and quite nice. If they were able to bottle this fragrance, women who are into fat guys could seduce them quite easily. Without a Birthday Cake Oreo to compare it to, I'm not sure how similar the smells are. But I can say these things smell damn good.

Ah the Golden Oreo cookie. JUST AS GOOD AS THE ORIGINAL!

They went with the Golden Oreo cookie rather than the original chocolate, and I think it was a wise choice. Not just because the white cookie goes great with the orange and yellow frosting if you're going for Candy Corn colors, but also, the chocolate cookie might throw the taste way off. The cream is thicker than a regular Oreo, and similar to all of the wild flavors they have been doing lately, rather than their original recipe.

But the big question is, do they taste like Candy Corn? Most people out there in the world don't like Candy Corn. I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it, unlike Mike, who is a huge fan. But... it kind of tastes like Candy Corn. It also kind of tastes like cotton candy. I would have to say these do taste more like Candy Corn than the Candy Corn M&M's did though.

Just like Candy Corn, BUT A COOKIE!

But the bottom line is that even if they don't taste exactly like Candy Corn, these Oreo cookies are damn good. They aren't overpowering like some of the Fudge Dipped ones, they are just a fantastic, solid Oreo cookie that will make a great addition to your Halloween Party food spread, or on your snack shelf in the pantry. Add these to the long list of great limited edition flavors. If you can find a bag, buy them. Hell, buy a bunch- last time I heard, they were going for $10 a bag on Ebay! But it won't be easy. You might have an easier time trapping a Sasquatch.

I give these a solid A rating!
Review by Rich!

Mike's review: As the one guy on this site who absolutely loves candy corn (and doesn't understand how I run a food blog with 2 people who don't- candy corn rules!!), I love these too, and will say that they're the perfect mix of tastes-a-little-bit-like-candy-corn and tastes-like-nothing-specific-but-tastes-fantastic. They're close, but they're not exactly like candy corn, which is probably why we all agree that these rule. Seriously, if you see these anywhere in New Hampshire, LET US KNOW.